


Binding Moonlight

by starmelee



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M, alternate universe - witch, it's an au BABEY, modern fantasy is my shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starmelee/pseuds/starmelee
Summary: Vanitas is a hybrid desperate to get rid of his weaknesses.Roxas is a witch who is just too old for this shit, but maybe just crazy enough to break the laws of the universe twice.
Relationships: Roxas/Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Binding Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kaddi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaddi/gifts).



> Kaddi, 
> 
> It's been years? More than one? Maybe? Either way, time has passed and we've been friends during it, and for that, I'm super duper grateful! You've been such a great friend and kind presence for as long as I've known you, and you never cease to make my day brighter with every interaction we share. I can't wait to have so many more! I hope you like this fic, because, in my opinion, it's an absolute banger. 
> 
> Here's to more years of friendship and happiness! :D Merry Christmas!

Roxas has been around for a long time. He likes to think it’s because of his daily runs and the fact that his favorite sport is beating people up with foam bats, and that he drinks water and sleeps… sometimes, and that he doesn’t eat too much sugar aside from his favorite ice cream. However, it probably just boils down to the fact that he’s the first witch to ever successfully brew an immortality potion so his friends and family wouldn’t outlive him. 

Now he’s probably in his late nineties, which, in all honesty, he still feels pretty young. In comparison to his friends, anyway, who seem like they’re a million billion years older. Seeing them forming their packs and being bitten by vampires and biting other people over the years has been… both uncomfortable and interesting. He’s had more people come to his small hut in the woods absolutely drenched in blood than those who have been clean. Admittedly, the reason for that is probably because he’s related to like, 3 werewolves, all of which are irresponsible and frequently don’t keep very good track of the lunar cycle. He simply doesn’t understand how difficult it is to sit down and mark a few nights in a calendar, but maybe he’s just old fashioned (hah). 

Regardless, he’s seen a lot of werewolves in his time. Sora’s two best friends are vampires. So why is it that, on this very unpleasant evening where he has already messed up a potion, dropped his favorite mortar and pestle, and found that his crystals have gone dark, a man walks in who is both and neither of these creatures? Tonight, of all nights, on a new moon, a night full of bad omens, and this unfamiliar… creature walks into his shop… home… thing. Okay, fine. Whatever. 

Roxas watches the stranger wander in, a heavy gait and an even heavier sense of style. He’s dressed in a black trenchcoat, and his eyes are the most startling shade of sulfur he’s ever seen. This is more typical of demons, maybe that’s what this person is and he’s just trying to confuse Roxas’s senses?

“You’re a witch.” He says, his voice gravelly. If Roxas didn't know any better, he’d say it sounded raw, like the stranger had been screaming. 

“I don’t like labels, but that’s what they call me,” he quips easily, moving from where he stood in the middle of his makeshift shop to where he keeps his crystals. “So... what can I do for you?” 

The man hesitates. “I… I need a daylight stone. And… and I need something to keep werewolves from turning on the full moon.” 

This piques Roxas’s interest. He knows so many vampires that he’s made daylight stones a hundred times over; they’re easy, require just a sample of hair from the individual and a good soak in full sunlight and moonlight. The balance of energy casts a protective barrier on the holder and keeps vampires from being harmed by the sun. He usually keeps proper stones around to do it with, just in case someone loses theirs and needs a backup. 

But a tool to keep werewolves from turning? If he’d made such a thing, he would have offered it to his friends by now. However, something tells him he needs to know more about this guy. If not because he looks absolutely emo and seems to be a strange creature Roxas can’t place his finger on, then because he seems like someone who needs help. His aura screams of pain, and Roxas can already feel his topaz warm up nearby. 

With a sigh, he comes up with a plan. “The stone I can do for you, but I’ll need to wait for the next full moon. As for your werewolf solution… that will take some time. I’ve never had to make something like that before, but knowing what I know of werewolf magic, I’ll need your blood. I need hair for the sunstone, too. And, I have a feeling that I will need to hand-craft a spell for you, which means we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.” 

The guy sputters. “E-excuse me?” 

“I can’t make a spell out of nothing, idiot,” he pulls a yellow topaz off of the shelf and wraps his fingers around it, feeling the crystal warm with energy. “You’re surrounded by the most insane aura I’ve ever seen. I need to spend time with you so I can adapt a spell to it that will bind and be more effective, whether or not I need an object to hold it.” 

“Oh.” Roxas watches his nose scrunch, like he’s tasted something unpleasant. “Fine, I guess. Whatever gets me the shit I want.” 

Roxas smiles, and every candle he has lit in the room blows out except for a few positioned between them. “My name is Roxas. I’ve been alive for just over nine decades because I am the first witch to craft an immortality potion without scorn from the gods. Once you agree to obtain objects from me, you may not go back on whatever payment we agree upon otherwise I will curse you so hard, you will suffer until your very last breath. Am I clear?” 

The jaw of his customer drops, only for a moment, but it drops all the same. Then it audibly clicks closed and he nods, a grin spreading on his lips. His canines are sharp. “Vanitas. Do I have to give you some shitty exposition, too, or can I get away with just my name?” 

“Tell me what you are.” 

Vanitas’s face falls slightly, and he looks away. “I’m… I’m a hybrid. Werewolf-vampire.” 

Oh. That explains a lot. “Excellent,” he says, watching Vanitas’s face lift in something akin to surprise. “Come here,” Roxas beacons him towards a counter he has positioned in front of a window. In front of him, he sets the topaz that is now glowing softly in the darkness of the evening and the room. 

That reminds him, actually. The candles that had been blown out flare back to life, and he sees Vanitas look around with a twist to his lips. Roxas gets a feeling he’s going to like this guy, despite his initial distaste. 

As he steps up to Roxas’s side, the witch takes one of Vanitas’s hands and places it, palm-down, above the crystal in front of him. He then places his own palm over Vanitas’s hand and feels the spell begin to wash over both of them. 

“This is a binding spell to ensure that our paths will cross. I will remove it once you give me my payment, which will be in the form of not money, but protection. I need to go to various areas to collect more components for my potions and magic, and no one will go with me. Therefore, I propose you help me collect the things I may need for your spell, and several of my own, and I will consider your debt paid. Plus, this allows us to spend time together so I can read your aura more accurately. Is this a fair trade?”

“Yes,” Vanitas answers, hardly giving it a moment. 

“Very well,” the topaz glows brighter until it goes out completely. On the palm of his hand is a sigil, vaguely shaped like a heart with chains running across. “This is the evidence of our agreement. Only I can break this spell, which means you’re stuck with me until it’s over,” he winks. “Obviously you can go home and stuff, but I guess you could say I did the spiritual equivalent of tying a string of fate. We won’t mean it, or we will, but we’ll always run into each other on fate’s rules.” 

Vanitas nods, considering the symbol on his hand before he takes a step back. “So, my hair and some blood, right?” 

Roxas nods, and guides him to the back room. There, he has a cauldron set up properly, surrounded by shelves and plants and all manner of things he uses for his magic. From one of the cabinets, he procures a small knife, a vial, and a small container. “Here, you can do that stuff yourself. Make sure the vial is just full enough that I have a decent amount, but I can put a cork on it still. I’ll probably need to test this spell a few times, so I might have to ask you for more at some point.” 

Vanitas nods, and does as he’s asked. Once Roxas seems all set, he leaves and it’s as if he was never there at all. Roxas almost wonders if it was a dream, but the faintly glowing mark on his hand tells him otherwise. 

The next time Roxas sees Vanitas is a week later when the hybrid returns at dusk. He feels the approaching visitor step over his protective wards, then listens as he walks into his home-shop-thing, then guides him to the back room with a soft laugh. Once Vanitas appears in the doorway, he leans against it with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. This time he’s in jeans and a dark red hoodie, but the same, heavy boots.

“Are we ever going to go get your nerdy witch shit, or am I just supposed to sit around and think you conned me?” 

“Hello to you too,” Roxas greets, dropping something into his boiling cauldron. Modern pots simply don’t do the trick like an ages-old cauldron does. “I was actually just thinking about you, what a coincidence that you decided to drop by.” And he laughs, because he thinks it’s funny. 

Vanitas doesn’t, clearly, from the way he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re not taking this fucking seriously, are you?” 

The room gets a little dimmer and Roxas’s face sternly sets itself. “Don’t ever say I don’t take my craft seriously. I’m successful because there is nothing I take more seriously. Don’t mistake my great personality for a lack of professionalism, got it?” 

Vanitas nods, though his eyebrow is still raised as though he’s challenging Roxas to prove it. So he does. 

“Actually, this is the initial test of a more basic immunity spell that I developed for allergies, of all things. I think that I can modify its base to provide a more… magical application. At its most fundamental, the spell is something that leaves much to be desired because it requires the actual items that you want immunity from, but I think I can alter it so that instead of requiring the literal, physical components, I can put energy-imbued items in instead and have the same effect.” He turns and grabs something to drop into the cauldron and it flares purple, then settles to a deep blue. “The reason why werewolves exist is a spell, after all, so if I make you immune to the energy that the spell forces upon you, then you won’t necessarily need to change when that energy is most powerful. You’ll probably still have the urge, and you’ll feel all the effects of an oncoming change, but you won’t _have_ to change against your will. It’ll also probably help you change more of your free will and stay in control when you do.” 

The more he speaks, the more he sees Vanitas straighten up, like he’s surprised that Roxas actually cared enough to start out doing what it was he was asked to do. Not like it’s his job or anything. 

“I thought so,” Roxas fills the resulting silence. “Now, when I’m done with this, I’m going to test it out on my own time because I have a few friends who are more than happy to help me with it and already have control of their changes or are comfortable with them. So, if it doesn’t work, no harm. If it does, I can remove it and they can go on their merry way while I adapt it to you. Make sense?” 

Vanitas nods. “Okay… so do you need me tonight or did I just show up because fate thought it’d be funny or something?” 

“You showed up because tonight we’re going to one of my favorite locations to collect a few moon flowers. And maybe some other stuff, if I’m in the mood. But first,” he snaps his fingers and the flames under his cauldron dramatically shrink. “I’m starving so we’re going to a restaurant.” 

Roxas cackles as he leads Vanitas out of his house and shuffles the poor guy into his car. Best invention of the recent times, in his opinion. He just… slightly altered it so it doesn’t need gasoline. The base makes for a wonderful spell carrier, though. 

They end up picking up something quick, and then they’re off. Not in Roxas’s car, but through a portal the witch draws on a wall in a back alley in town. 

“Is this… safe?” 

Roxas snorts, finishing up his chalk marking. “No magic is ever ‘safe’, Vanitas. There’s practiced magic and unpracticed magic, and I’ve been making portals for seventy years. This is about as good as it gets.” He waves his hand and mutters a quick spell, and while the wall doesn’t visibly change, the chalk glows. 

Before Vanitas can say anything else, Roxas grabs his hand and drags him through the wall into a thick forest. The ground beneath them is soft and green with moss, and trees lean in all around them, whispering secrets in the quiet breeze. In what little moonlight there is, he can see the path that leads them to the cave they’re looking for. 

Vanitas breaks the peaceful silence as he processes what just happened. “ _What the fuck._ Where are we?” 

“Um… somewhere,” Roxas helpfully supplies, beginning to walk forward. He lifts a hand and summons a light that remains at his side, following faithfully so he doesn’t catch on any tree roots. 

“Wow, that really gives me a good idea. Thanks, Roxas,” his companion mutters, following behind him. “...So these flowers, what do they look like? What do they do?” 

Roxas smiles to himself. “They’re white, shaped like stars and laced with gold in the petals. They’re the result of a weak spot in the veil between our world and the magical realm that lives as a sister to us. It’s essentially the source of most true magic, though I would argue that’s more of a strength of will thing than an attunement to the other plane thing.” He’s always struggled with attunement with other planes; could never get it right. “Moon flowers only grow in dark places that exist in these weak points, and they absorb a ton of magic and energy from the moon even if they can’t grow in direct moonlight. I think there might be a weird thing in the magical plane about it. I’m not too sure. But if something is going to make a spell powerful enough to stop you from being a werewolf, it’s these.” 

“Oh,” Vanitas answers, and they just keep walking with the ambiance of the forest to keep them company. 

They encounter the cave after just a few more minutes of walking, the mouth glistening with evening dew and sparkling with magic. Roxas steps inside and beckons for Vanitas to continue behind, and they wander around and through until they spot glowing walls of an inner chamber. Roxas puts his light out the moment they come into view, and listens to Vanitas inhale softly as the flowers glitter to life in the pitch darkness. 

The whites of the petals are softly illuminated by the illustrious gold that almost seems like it’s been poured on them. And they’re _everywhere_ , gathered in clusters of five but so close together it’s difficult to discern where one cluster begins and the next ends. The cavern they’re in is probably thirty feet tall and at least sixty feet wide at its maximum, and almost every inch of the walls is covered in them. Each gilded blossom is about the size of the palm of his hand in full bloom, and they’re all dripping with magic no matter what stage of life they seem to be in.

“Gorgeous, aren’t they? I almost considered living here for a little while, but it’s a bit too far from my family to be comfortable.” Roxas keeps his voice hushed as he reaches for a few clusters. He tucks them into a darkened glass jar. “I just feed them a little magic every day and I can keep them like this for about a year. All things considered, they’re a relatively easily maintained ingredient. And as long as I give a little thing back as thanks,” he reaches into a pocket and retrieves a little finger length prism of aquamarine from his pocket, setting it on the ground in front of him, “I’m allowed back to take what I need when I need it.” 

He turns in time to see Vanitas furrow his brow. “What… where does it go? Why are you giving rocks to a cave? Doesn’t it have enough rocks?” 

Roxas laughs. “I’m not giving it to the cave. I’m giving it to the magical plane that allows these sorts of things to grow. You’ll notice that, especially with magic, there’s always a price. A physical component, a piece of the caster, a sacrifice of life or magic. My offering is something imbued with some energy for our world in return for something imbued with energy from its own.” 

Vanitas mulls it over for a few minutes before nodding, and they go back to the spot where they appeared and end up back in town. Roxas’s chalk marks are gone when they walk through the portal, and he grins as he walks to his car parked along the sidewalk nearby. “Unless you want a ride home, I’m calling it a night.” 

“I’m good,” Vanitas says, and Roxas watches him stalk off until he can’t see him anymore before he climbs into his car. 

The full moon comes and goes, and Roxas hears nothing from Vanitas until a couple of days later. He looks tired, his mood seems darker, and Roxas decides to make this a night to stay in. “Tonight, I’m gonna focus on attuning to your aura more than anything. So go upstairs and take a seat on the couch while I finish up here.” Roxas was just finishing the touches on Vanitas’s daylight stone. The stone he chose is the same as the one that holds their binding spell; a yellow topaz. They’re good for the spirit and they’re a stone that likes to help, so hopefully, it’s a good way to penetrate that darkened aura and keep him safe at the same time. Roxas set the circular topaz in a pendant, and it’s a small thing, but it’s strong. Runes are carved along the actual metal that keeps it in place, though they’re more on the subtle side. Mainly things that keep it from being lost or broken or stolen. 

So he walks upstairs and plops it around Vanitas’s neck, and watches him shiver as the spell settles over his skin. 

“Is this it?” The man asks, incredulous. 

“Duh,” Roxas says, walking back towards his kitchen. “It’s highly concentrated energy, so it’ll keep you safe, but you didn't really scream the ‘expensive-looking jewelry’ or ‘gaudy’ type to me, so I kept it as simple but elegant as possible.” 

“I like it,” he thinks he hears Vanitas mutter, and he smiles. “That spell is tried and true, so you shouldn’t have an issue going out in the sunlight now. Not even a faint weakness. Anyway, do you eat food or did you inherit a more vampiric kinda appetite? Because I have like, a ton of chicken alfredo and I need help demolishing it.” 

Vanitas’s voice is somewhat lighter than it was before, despite the fact that it sounds just as raw as the first day they met, if not worse. “I can do either. But give me some of that and I’ll definitely help you out.” 

They spend the night eating and watching various movies. Vanitas gives him shit for liking Tron, he gives Vanitas shit for liking the new Alice in Wonderland better than the old one, and they go back and forth until the sun starts to rise. Roxas is exhausted by then, but he wants to see Vanitas’s first time in full sunlight. So together, they hike out to a field by Roxas’s house and watch the sun as it rises over the trees, and they watch the daylight reach down in beams until it touches Vanitas’s skin. 

Roxas never realized it until right then, but watching the sunlight as it hits his companion makes him really **look**. Vanitas is… he’s _beautiful_. His eyes are sharp and his jaw is chiseled, his cheekbones are high, but his hair is a mess and he has bags under his eyes and his lips are chapped. He looks regal and disheveled in equal measure, and it’s absolutely confusing. But the smile that breaks across his face, followed by the howling laughter as he tackles Roxas into the grass still littered with morning dew? That’s why Roxas does what he does. And Roxas laughs with him, and wrestles with him in the sunlight until he’s too tired to try anymore. 

The last thing he remembers is Vanitas making fun of him for being tired before he closes his eyes and just listens to him talk until his voice fades away. 

Roxas’s eyes open and the world around him is bathed in darkness. Unfortunately, this is a realm he recognizes, and he spins to try and find what brought him. 

Several paces in front of him is a man, dressed in a familiar black coat, sitting on some indiscernible object. And just like that, they’re on a beach, dark, rolling waves crashing against black sand. This isn’t a good sign.

“Who are you?” 

“I go by many names. But what is more important is who are you helping, witch?”

Roxas’s mouth closes. This man reminds him of someone he knew a long time ago, but it’s been nearly sixty years since he’s seen hide or hair of them. He remembers Riku talked about having to use this space once, but he’s not sure why someone would be able to copy a description of manipulated darkness so easily. 

“The one I’ve bound myself to until the contract is completed.” No names to strangers. Ever. 

The man chuckles. “You’re making a mistake. You do not want the price that comes with what you are trying to create. In her life, The Moon herself developed the curse that she did to avenge a fallen lover. That revenge, that hatred, will backfire on you should you try to move from her spell.” 

Roxas’s eye twitches. “Why are you telling me this?” 

“Because the natural order must be kept in check. Lycanthropy is a law of our world whether the infected wish it so or not. Trying to ignore one’s nature results in pain or a price. Be sure to pass this on to Vanitas for me.” 

The dream dissolves before he can say more, but he wakes up in his bed, sweat dripping down his temple and trailing down the back of his neck. 

Who was that? 

This time, it’s him who seeks out Vanitas. He finds him the following morning in a park somewhere. In reality, Roxas had been distracted as he scried for his new friend and drew the portal that would take him to Vanitas. They have a lot to discuss and not very much time, Roxas feels. If the moon goddess sent an emissary, or even if someone just knows what he’s trying to do, he has a feeling Vanitas is in trouble. 

So he steps out from behind a tree, looks up, and finds Vanitas resting on a thick branch. 

“I see you’re putting your new jewelry to good use,” Roxas greets him with a somewhat cocky smile, watching as Vanitas turns to return the expression. 

“I see this time you were the one who couldn’t stay away. What’re you here for?” 

Roxas sighs, “Had a dream, premonition thing that we need to discuss. Apparently we’re breaking the natural order, which I’ve only done once, so I was told we need to watch our hides. But the person I was talking to knew you by name, and he said something bad was going to happen to one or both of us if we try to fix the whole… moon situation.” 

Vanitas raises and eyebrow and slides down next to him. Today he’s in jeans and a black t-shirt, and he still looks immaculate. Fucking vampire-werewolf bullshit. At the very least, Roxas notes, he looks like he’s gotten some rest.

“So are you just going to not help me anymore?” He sounds a little panicked, and a little upset, but Roxas shakes his head.

“No, it means I’m making sure you really want to do this, because it seems like we’re going to be catching the heat of a vengeful moon goddess. I, personally, always heard that lycanthropy was a _gift_ from the moon goddess, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s been wrong.”

Vanitas mutters something under his breath, something Roxas can’t quite catch, but he simply sighs and rests against the tree. “Okay, so you’re asking me if I’m ready to catch this heat?” 

Roxas laughs. “Yes, I’m asking you if you’re ready to maybe upset a goddess, Vanitas.” 

“I mean, I upset pretty much everyone, so what’s a goddess but another thing to cross off the bucket list?” He grins, and the two of them bump the sides of their fists together in a lazy sort of promise. 

Roxas never thought he would be prepared to potentially get magical backfire from a goddess, of all things, but Vanitas has proven to be worthy. He wants to help him so badly he can almost feel the sensation on his skin. 

“I need something from somewhere, will you come with me?” And Vanitas makes a joke about having no choice, but the way he nods almost immediately before that makes a piece of Roxas smile. 

Their quest to get the stone he’s looking for is rather short; finding diamonds that are humanely sourced isn’t really a challenge for a witch, because he simply knows a few guys. (It’s them, they’re the guys.) But it’s very important to him that he uses a diamond. They’re walking into his house after portaling back when Vanitas speaks up.

“Why did we need to go get a diamond ourselves?” 

“Because, Vani,” Roxas rolls his eyes, “if anyone else got it, I couldn’t make sure it was perfect. A little magic will have this baby looking like the glimmering jewel she’s meant to be, and then I’m going to finish your spell. I had a friend use my prototype during the last moon and she said it almost worked, but a fellow witch said I didn't add enough energy to the spell and my binding object was too weak. So, I’m getting a fucking diamond, I’m going to put a piece of my magic in it, and this spell is going to fucking work.” 

Vanitas is quiet and then he stops, grabbing Roxas’s shoulder. “Wait, what? Did you just say you’re putting your _magic_ into it?” 

He grins. “You bet. I figure if I put some of my own energy in, since we’re such great friends now, my own magic and fondness will allow the spell to bind more strongly to you and the diamond. I don’t remember if I ever told you this,” he turns back around and heads to the room with his cauldron, “but my aura and yours mix pretty well together. I’ve always had a superior control over light and magic based on light, but your aura is very dark. I think it’s because of what you are, but also probably because you have some unresolved trauma.” 

Vanitas’s jaw drops, just like it had when Roxas’s candles blew out on the first night they met, and he laughs. “Sorry, I just. I can see it, you know? I can see your pain, but I can also see your strength. That’s why we meld so well,” he speaks as he gathers things from his cabinets. There’s a journal set on the counter in front of him that contains his own recipe and spoken spell to follow the physical component. “It’s because we’ve both experienced some shitty things but we’re just in different stages of recovery. So, with that in mind, I think I can make it work.” 

“But… but what does putting your magic in _do_?” 

Roxas’s fingers pause on their way to grab the moon flowers, but just for a moment before he’s pulling that jar down to the counter, too. “It’ll probably put me in a coma, or something. Magic is pretty intricately tied to the soul, and I’m going to put a lot of magic in this, so um. I’ll be fine, and I’ll definitely live, but I’ll probably be asleep for like, a month or something. But not until the spell is sealed and put on you..” 

When he turns around to start preparing his cauldron, Vanitas is just… staring at him. 

“Why… why would you do that for me? We’ve been friends for like, two months. I ate all your food and was rude to you. I doubted you for half the time we’ve known each other. Why are you willing to put yourself into a _coma_ for _me_?” 

“That one’s easy,” Roxas smiles at him, “it’s because, as my older-but-should-be-younger brother Sora once told me, probably in a very annoying way, everyone deserves a second chance to live the way they want to. And everyone deserves to have someone who cares about them. I don’t really know what you’ve gone through or what your life away from here is like, but I want to. And I want to see you get out of this with what you want.” 

“That’s the most kindergarten bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Vanitas says, but his voice is thick and it’s obvious he’s trying to hold back tears. 

Roxas laughs anyway. “Yeah, that’s Sora for you. He’s like a walking children’s book sometimes, but I think he’s onto something. Don’t tell him I said that, though.” The fire below his cauldron flares to life, and he puts water in it to start boiling. 

“I’m gonna hold it against you as blackmail for the rest of your miserable existence,” Vani threatens, but he’s smiling now. Roxas’s chest blossoms with warmth. 

He pretends to nod solemnly as he starts tossing in his more base ingredients. “Of course you will, you’re a bastard.” 

The next evening, the cauldron is almost full and bubbling. It glows silver, like moonlight, and Roxas knows he looks exhausted as he sprinkles in the last of the moon flowers. The potion flares sharply, a flash of gold emanating from it, and Vanitas stares from his corner of the room as Roxas hums softly to himself. He keeps forgetting Vanitas is there because he’s so quiet, but every now and then he gets a reminder in the form of a complaint or a comment or a joke. 

But now, as the potion is starting to look, well, like it’s magical, it’s been quiet. Roxas watches it carefully, and when the color changes from silver to white, he drops the diamond into the cauldron and slices his hand over the top of it. Blood drips down his hand and dissolves into the boiling liquid below him, and once he feels like enough has been put in, he wraps his hand up and picks up his book. 

“So, I’m going to cast the spell, and I need you to look away. Your sunstone will protect you from the effects, but it won’t protect your eyes from getting blinded. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to look,” he waits for Vanitas to nod before he starts reading off his spell. 

Instantly, he feels it. 

He feels his magic detach itself from his very soul and coil at his heart, then he feels it travel along his arm and to the palm that’s positioned over the cauldron. The air starts whipping in the room, whirling around him and making his already disastrous hair an even bigger mess. 

He knows it’s working because his magic drips from his fingers, bright white, and as he continues, the liquid starts to disappear from the pot. By the time he’s almost done, he nods and Vanitas turns and covers his eyes. He closes his own eyes as the last word leaves his lips, and the wind explodes from his body. Every glass panel of his cabinets shatter, the windows shatter, the room shudders, and then it’s dead quiet. 

Roxas opens his eyes and blinks, then tries to summon light to see the results of his work. Unfortunately, as expected, nothing comes to his aid, and exhaustion settles into his very body. He finds himself teetering backward, and suddenly Vanitas is at his side helping him stay upright. 

“I didn't tell you to open your eyes yet,” Roxas murmurs, and smiles when he sees Vanitas do the same in the dim light coming from under the doorframe. His friend grabs a flashlight from one of the drawers nearby. 

Vani ignores the joke in favor of turning it on. “Why do you use candles, anyway? You have electricity.” 

“I like the ambiance,” Roxas replies, waving his hand. “I think it’s more dramatic. And I have better control over fire than electricity, so when I’m trying to make a point to snarky customers, it’s easier.” 

Vanitas chuckles and leads him over to the cauldron with an arm supporting him. Resting at the bottom is a softly glowing diamond. 

“Oh my gods,” Roxas mutters, reaching down and plucking the stone from its resting place. The warmth of his own magic makes him yearn to take it back, but he knows better. “It worked. Now we need to make sure it actually helps. Luckily, the full moon is soon. And I have enough time to set this in the ring I had Terra make for me.” 

He walks over to the other side of the room (slowly, minding his exhaustion), and grabs his pliers. The band is thick, but the silver metal (not actually silver, though) is laced with runes and symbols. There’s a spot made just for the diamond Roxas has in his hand. Setting the diamond is just as easy as Terra said it would be, and soon, the whole ring glows as the runes take in some of the magic pouring off the stone. Roxas turns. 

“Give me your hand,” he instructs, holding out his empty one. Vanitas offers his own hand as he’s told, and watches curiously. 

Roxas slides the ring onto his finger, and the change in him is instantaneous. He can feel the way his energy fades fully into the ring, and he gasps as a startling cold fills his very being. Vanitas catches him as he faints, and the last thing he remembers is echoes of his name being called. 

In front of him, a woman smiles. She’s adorned in a white dress that flows like starlight. Her hair is long and black, trailing in waves along her back and a few strands flow down her chest. Her eyes are the lightest shade of grey he’s ever seen, and he knows that this is a goddess. 

“You’re some witch, aren’t you Roxas? Well, I’ll continue to allow you to channel the powers you do because I think you’re interesting. Just remember that one can only play with the natural order so many times.” She reaches out, and even though he’s completely unaware of his body, he feels her cool hand brush across his cheek. 

“You need to wake up now.” 

His eyes slide open on a sunny morning, and he has to stifle a groan. His head is pounding, his chest feels weird, and all he wants to go is go back to sleep. But he feels stiff and sore, and he can’t get comfortable enough, and something tells him going back to sleep would be bad. So, he stands up, grunts as his bones crack, and wobbles his way out of his room and into the bathroom. He brushes his teeth and feels his hair, scrunching his nose, and gets in the shower. 

Once he’s done, he puts on another set of clean pajamas and waddles his way to the kitchen for a cup of tea. That’s when he notices something… odd. There are dishes in his sink, and when he turns, he can see pillows and blankets that aren’t his on his couch. He frowns as he tries to see if anyone has tripped up his runes, but gets nothing unfamiliar. Okay… weird… maybe Sora came for a visit and couldn’t wake him up? 

It’s just as he’s taking his last sip of tea that he chokes, tea coming out of his nose. Vanitas! The spell! He was comatose! He feels for his magic and notices that it’s weak, but present enough that he’s awake and able to use his basic senses.

After he blows his nose, he meanders down the stairs and into his shop, looking around. Everything seems to be in order, down to the very last crystal. And when he looks in his spell room, he sees that all the cabinets and the windows have been fixed. 

That’s when he feels it; Vanitas is coming. So he makes his best effort to get behind his counter and lean against it, looking up when the door opens. 

“Hey, stranger, what brings you here?” 

Vanitas startles so harshly that he drops all the bags he’s holding, then he looks up with wide eyes. “Holy fuck. You told me a month, you fucking liar! It’s been _half a year_!” He’s by Roxas’s side and is lifting him in a... strangely uncharacteristically enthusiastic hug before Roxas can even process that he’s said anything, let alone moved. 

“Did you just say it’s been six months?” He manages to gasp out. 

“Yeah, you idiot! I’ve been living in your house and your family keeps coming in and being weird. But Terra fixed the windows, and Aqua made sure all of your shit’s been taken care of, and everyone else comes in to keep me company and sit with you sometimes. _Shit_ , Sora’s going to be so excited.” 

It’s really weird to hear the guy you hung out with for a couple of months talk about your family and friends like they’re also close, but it’s been six months so Roxas lets it slide as one of those things he needs to get used to. 

“So… did it work?” 

Vanitas sets him down and smirks at him, and Roxas suddenly notices that his eyes are so much more gold than they had been before. 

“It worked, but I had to give something up, too. Had this crazy dream of some girl in a white dress, and she told me that I had to give up something in order for the spell to be mine. So I gave up a few memories and something I needed to let go of and she seemed pretty happy about it.” 

Roxas nods. Seems about right. 

The gravity of what they've done hits him like a sack of feathers with bricks inside, and he laughs. “I can’t believe it… fuck, I bent the laws of nature twice! I’m the most powerful witch ever!” He leans against the counter as he runs a hand through his hair. And then he looks up at Vanitas, and sees how happy he looks, and decides, fuck it. 

Roxas's hand reaches up, his fingers curling into the collar of Vani’s shirt, and he pulls him into a kiss. 

They’ll have time to sort it out later.


End file.
